Charlotte Coca Cola 600 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Kyle Busch
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – Kyle Busch has historically been a super-elite performer at Charlotte and on Sunday, I would view him as a risky top ten contender. Busch smoked the field in 2018 en route to victory lane, and in 6 of the last 8 races he’s finished in the top 6. Since 2018 minus 2020 #2 and last year, Busch has a 3.3 average finish. Going back to 2024 at high-speed 1.5’s, Busch has the 14th best Track Type Total Speed Ranking, having shown some flashes but trouble is never far. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Busch has shown a little potential but he’s also 3 for 3 at finishing 20th or worse and has a 24.7 average finish.
Charlotte Track History – Charlotte has been a great track for Kyle Busch and in the Next Gen, Busch has the 2nd best average finish (7.6), the 8th best Driver Rating and ranks 9th in terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings. Last year, Busch finished 15th which is pretty respectable when you take his circumstances into account. In the race, Busch started 15th, was caught speeding during the first green flag pit cycle in the lap 40’s (dropped him from 13th to 34th) and was then later caught speeding in Stage #2. Over the final segment, Busch ranked 11th for Speed. In 2023, Busch ran well. In the race, Busch had a 7.3 average running position and then finished 6th overall. In terms of speed stats, Busch ranked 5th for Total Speed Rankings and then 6th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Busch didn’t have an incident free race but finished runner-up. In the race, Busch started 4th, led 36 laps, spun out on lap 47 after just getting passed for the lead which dropped him a lap down, made an unexpected pit stop on lap 291 while running in 10th and was in 7th on lap 391 before late “Mega Mayhem” occurred. Those problems skew many of his stats, but Busch ranked 6th for Speed Late In A Run and had the 12th best Total Speed Ranking. In 5 of the 6 Charlotte races prior to that, Busch finished in the top 4.

Bubba Wallace
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – Bubba Wallace is a strong performer at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks and at Charlotte, look for him to be a risky top ten contender. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Wallace ranks 14th in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings but in the most important statistic, finishes, his average is 31.3 which is just about the worst in the series so he’s had quite a bit of trouble. Going back to 2024 at high-speed 1.5’s, Wallace has only finished in the top ten once!
Charlotte Track History – At Charlotte, Bubba Wallace has been solid and currently has back-to-back top 11’s. Also over the last two, Wallace has a 7.5 average finish, an 11.1 average running position and the 7th best Driver Rating. In terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings, Wallace ranks 9th. Last year, Wallace had a strong showing. In the race, Wallace finished 11th, had a 6.5 average running position, earned the 6th best Driver Rating and ranked 7th for Total Speed Rankings. I’ll note on lap 235 he was running in 7th, so he fell back a few positions during the last little green flag run. In 2023, Wallace finished 4th, had the 8th best Driver Rating, was tied for having the 11th best Total Speed Ranking but take note his average running position was 15.7. To close out the race, Wallace was at his best. In 2022, Wallace looked great but finished 28th. In the race, Wallace started 7th, finished 5th in Stage #1 but then on lap 126 while running in 3rd, he spun and brought out a caution which dropped him a lap down. He didn’t hit anything, but his afternoon went downhill after that. Then near the end of Stage #2, Wallace was caught up in a multi-car wreck that marked the end of his race.

Chris Buescher
Charlotte Fantasy Outlook – Chris Buescher will be an interesting prospect to pick in the Coca Cola 600. Buescher just finished 8th at Kansas but how cheated up really was the #17? This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Buescher ranks 13th in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings and has a 13.0 average finish.
Charlotte Track History –Chris Buescher has been solid at Charlotte  and in 4 of the last 7 races he’s finished in the top ten. In the Next Gen, Buescher ranks 13th in terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings and his average finish is 19th, with just 1 top ten. Last year, Buescher started in the rear of the field in a backup car, had a 17.4 average running position and then finished 23rd. In terms of speed stats, Buescher ranked 9th for Speed Late In A Run and had the 14th best Total Speed Ranking. In 2023, Buescher finished 8th, had a 14.1 average running position and had the 11th best Total Speed Ranking. Buescher even won Stage #2, which marked his first Stage win since 2021. In 2022, Buescher looked respectable but crashed in the final Stage which led to his 26th. In the race he finished 8th in Stage #3, was running in 16th on lap 345 but then that very lap he crashed in dramatic fashion when he hit Suarez. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Buescher ranked 15th. Over the four races prior to that, Buescher had results of 8th, 22nd, 10th and 6th.

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